Prince of Hinata
by Major Mike Powell III
Summary: One night, Keitaro is sent flying by a NaruPunch. Normal enough. However, Fate has plans for him, which will make his life even less normal than usual...
1. The Shinning Blades

**Prince of Hinata**

**Chapter 1: The shinning blades**

By Major Mike Powell III

Covered by the dark veil the night and the warm weather of summer, two lovers lay together against the railing of the laundry deck of _Hinata Sou_, an all-girls dormitory. Before they can be mentioned, it must be told before hand, that the love that united these two young people was born in the most unlikely of ways.

The seeds of this love were planted in a cool spring night, when the _sakura_ petals were on blossom and the moon was full. Everything was peacefully quiet…until the usual battle cry of "YOU PERVERT!" and the most usual scream of a certain 21 year-old young resident manager of a certain all-girls dormitory, as he was punched out of the building and thrown sky-high.

However, as Fate would have it, a surprise would be waiting for him right on this landing site: the attic.

Keitaro Urashima's scream was replaced by that of breaking wood and splinters, as his apparently immortal body crashed through the ceiling onto a pile of dusty wood furniture.

"Argh, ouh…" the third year ronin groaned as he rubbed the back of his head. He coughed a couple of times, stood up and dusted himself off. He looked around the room and given the lack of light, he found himself looking for the light switch.

Eventually, after tripping a couple of times with some random rubbish, he found it. Importunely, the lack of an actual light bulb left the room in the dark. Keitaro scratched his head and tried looking for a trap door or stair to, most likely, go to his study partner and apparent object of his affections, Narusegawa, Naru to beg for her forgiveness.

However, a glint of blue and golden-silver light beneath a dusty blanket over a desk caught his eye…he cautiously walked over to it, trying not to trip on any other object forgotten on the floor.

When he reached the desk, he could feel both lights somehow pulsing, and a couple of human voices; one female and other male, almost calling out to him…

"_Come here, boy" _said the male voice. _"Come here, young one"_ called the female one.

Hesitantly, Keitaro reached out and grabbed the dust-covered blanket and with a swift movement, he removed it. He gasped, for before him lay two, shinning blades. Two of the most finely crafted and beautiful blades he had ever laid eyes on.

The first weapon to catch his eye was a long sword: it appeared to be a sort of mixture of far-middle-eastern manufacturing; the hilt being that of a Japanese katana and the 14-inch blade being that of an Arabian scimitar; it was of a peculiar design: the sword wasn't double edged. On one side, it had a symmetrical razor-like curve, while the other had a shark's teeth-like edge.

Keitaro's hand involuntarily moved towards the sword's hilt and grasped it firmly, raising the katana/scimitar half-breed up in the air. What had caught his attention first hadn't been the sword's design, but the ethereal golden-silver glow that emanated from the blade; a thick strip of golden steel ran along the center of it, while streams of silver did the same along the sides.

Keitaro could clearly feel the hard, yet soft black leather of the hilt, which he unconsciously felt fit his hand perfectly as the limb followed his thoughts and swung the deadly blade to the right in a horizontal cut and vice versa. The sword was light as a feather.

"Whoa…" was all the _ronin _could say. He gently laid the sword back on the blanket, and focused his attention on the second blade. It was a dagger with both curved hilt and blade; made of golden ivory and blue-glowing steel respectively.

It was as beautiful as the long sword… and just like with the latter; Keitaro picked up the dagger and examined it. He caressed the hilt's ivory and he saw a group of yellowish small crystals imbedded into the blade.

He gently put the dagger back onto the blanket and stared at both blades. He wondered…'how in the World could these two end up here…? Well, something will have to be done about these two…mmm…perhaps Aunt Haruka might want to see them. Or perhaps, Seta-_san_…no, wait, he's off in a dig…' Keitaro thought as he pondered on what to do with the two beautiful blades.

'Well, I might take them to my room. I can talk to the others about it tomorrow. I could ask Motoko-_chan_ about it…' the young _kanrinin_ thought as he looked around in the darkness, looking for a way out of the attic. He scratched his head in confusion. "Damn…where's the way out?" he asked out loud.

"_To your right, a few feet. There's a trap door"_ the male voice he had heard said. Keitaro looked up and unconsciously followed the instructions. Effectively, there was indeed a trap door, which lead to the floor below. Keitaro blinked at the light coming from the hallway. He walked over to the two blades and folded them in the blanket.

He walked down the stairs, carefully holding the weapons, and made his way over to his room. Since he didn't want to get into trouble by getting caught with the blades, Keitaro hid them behind a few boxes he had in his closet.

Once done, there was one more thing to worry about. "Now, gotta apologize to Naru…" the ronin mumbled and looked up into the hole in the ceiling, which connected his room to his study partner's.

However, when he was about to go through the hole, something told him…

"_Don't. Not now."_

"Wha…?" Keitaro mumbled in confusion as he looked around his room, suddenly feeling strange. He scratched the back of his head. He shrugged the feeling off and tried again to go up. But…

"_It's too late for that now. You need to rest. She will be calmer tomorrow morning." _

There was the nagging feeling again. Something was off…'Man, w-what's going here…?' Keitaro thought as he rubbed the back of his head. Suddenly, he looked at his watch on his desk and realized it had been about an hour since he had found those glowing blades in the attic. Now it was about ten o'clock. Keitaro suddenly felt really tired, and so he decided to apologize the next day. "Perhaps…perhaps Narusegawa will be in a better mood tomorrow…y-yeah. I better go to sleep…" the _ronin_ said to himself.

He took out his futon from the closet and unrolled it on the floor, changed into his pajamas and before going to bed, he opened his closet again and took a look at the beautiful weapons he had found.

However, if Keitaro had looked a bit closer before going to sleep, he would have seen that both blades were glowing more intensely…

……………………………………………………………………………….

A/N: Officer on deck, marines!

I decided to make some modifications to the first chapter for this fic…and I did a shitty mistake while editing this shit, so I was forced to take down the whole fic! Damn it!

Sorry for the trouble.

Semper-Fi! Carry on!


	2. Dreams and Nightmares?

**Prince of Hinata**

**Chapter 2: Dreams and…nightmares?**

"_Do you love her?"_

"_What?"_

"_You heard me. Do you love her?"_

"_W-Who are you talking about?"_

"_You know who I mean"_

"_N-Naru…?"_

"_Exactly"_

"…_Yes. Yes I do. I love her ever since we met…"_

"_Are you sure?" _

"_W-What? Of course I am! I love her!"_

"_Are you sure?"_

"_Y-Yes! I love her!"_

"_I see. You are determined. That's admirable"_

_Keitaro looked around the cherry blossom forests he found himself standing in; the pink petals dancing around him. Wherever he looked, trying to find the source of that soft and calm female voice, he would see nothing but sakura petals flying all around. _

"_W-What is going on…? Who's there! Show yourself!" he commanded at the voice, which simply replied from seemingly nowhere._

"_I apologize, young man. But is just too soon for you to know. Just…too soon"_

_Keitaro heard the bodiless voice getting closer by each passing word…until a group of petals started to spin in front of the young kanrinin, and he gasped as the rosy flowers formed the shape of a woman._

"_W-What's going on!?" he exclaimed as he took a step back and clumsily tripped, falling flat on his rear. The flowery woman knelt in front of him and reached her hand out to him._

"_I am sorry, for I'm unable to tell you who I am. But I must insist on my question: do you love her? Do you truly love her?" no emotion could be seen on her face, due to the spinning petals; but Keitaro was sure that he saw concern. He suddenly frowned at hearing that question again._

"_Of course I do, damn it! I LOVE HER!" he yelled, "I've seen the real Naru! The caring, sweet and gentle girl inside!"_

_The flowery woman shook her head slowly and rose to her feet. She sighed and turned around. _

"_Again, I am sorry, young man. But it's just too soon to tell…" she whispered and Keitaro covered his face with his arms as the woman's flowery body suddenly exploded and sent petals flying all around. After that, Keitaro lowered his arms and stood up. He looked down and mumbled something like…_

"_I love her…don't I?"_

……………………………………………………………………………….

"_Do you love him?"_

"_W-What?"_

"_Again. Do you love him?"_

"_W-Who…?"_

"_You know who. Don't play dumb on this, girl"_

"_K-Keitaro…?"_

"_Right! You're not as a fool as I thought…"_

"_Hey! W-Who are you? W-What's going on here…? W-Where is this place?!"_

_Naru was standing in the middle of a large, round terrace with stone pillars and platforms around her. However, most of those pillars were crumbled and there were splinters of burning wood all around. The sandy, stone floor felt hard on her bare feet. _

"_That, you don't need to know, girl. Not now, anyway. But let's go back to my question: do you…"_

"_Love him?" Naru cut in. That charismatic male voice that had been speaking from nowhere groaned sarcastically. "Hey, don't you know it's rude to interrupt people like that? You could use some manners…anyway. That is correct. Now, do you know the answer?"_

_Naru gasped as the sands beneath her feet started to flow and turn into a swirl of sand that rose in front of the girl, and suddenly formed a human shape._

_Naru's eyes widened in surprise and horror._

"_K-Keitaro!" she whispered in disbelieve as the young man stood above her; hovering in mid air and his whole body wrapped in what appeared to be a blazing, black chain with razor-sharp blades._

"_Do you love him?" that voice asked again, this time louder. Naru's cheeks were stained with hot tears as her knees gave in and she fell to the floor; her arms wrapped around herself. The voice asked again, louder. "Do you love him?" _

"_I-I…I don't kno-" she was cut off as the voice started to laugh, sending a shiver down Naru's spine. "So no! You don't!"_

_Everything went dark and all that the girl could hear was the sickening sound of a hundred blades imbedding into human flesh and a splash of liquid…_

……………………………………………………………………………….

With a choked scream, Naru bolted upright on her futon; her face covered in cold sweat and salty tears, and her chest heaving up and down with ragged gasps; her arms wrapped tightly around herself.

'W-What was THAT!?' her mind screamed in horror, 'K-Keitaro was…w-what was all that?' without a second thought, Naru jumped from her futon over to the hole connecting her room with the _kanrinin_'s.

She grabbed the table covering it and tossed it aside, and then poked her head through the hole…

There was Keitaro, deep in slumber.

'O-Only a nightmare…thank _Kami_...thank God…' she let out a shaky sigh and crawled back to bed. She covered herself tightly with the blankets and closed her brown eyes.

No sleep came to her that night…

"_Are you sure that was necessary?"_

"_Yes, it was"_

"_Why?"_

"_If she doesn't appreciate what is within her reach, it's her fault for being such a fool"_

"…"

"_I am right, yes?"_

"_Yes, yes you are. For years it has been up to her to make the first move. He has given her nothing but kindness…"_

"_And she has given him nothing but pain! She deserves to suffer!"_

"_You certainly have your way with things, don't you?"_

"_Of course I do. But now, let's hope that he opens his eyes to the truth. Shall we give him advice?"_

"_No. Not yet. Soon…"_

"_Yes. Soon…however, I have seen inside of him…and there are a few people he would certainly like to teach some lessons. I say we help him. Don't you?"_

"_Yes, you are right. However, we must speak to him only when necessary"_

"_Of course, my lady. Of course…but for now, let us…"_

"_Let him sleep"_

……………………………………………………………………………….

Keitaro slept peacefully for the rest of the night.

……………………………………………………………………………….

A/N: As you can see, there aren't any changes in this chapter. Sorry.

Semper-Fi! Carry on!


	3. What a bright, sunny morning

**Prince of Hinata**

**Chapter 3: What a bright, sunny morning**

"Grrrrhhmmm…" Keitaro grumbled with irritation as his alarm clock went off. He blindly tapped around him with his hand to turn the cursed alarm off, given his heads position, beneath his pillow.

"Damn it…" he muttered as he found nothing but air, and raised his head from his bedding. As his eyes adjusted to the bright, sunny light coming into his room, his ears caught the clock's ringing coming from…'my closet? What the Hell…?' Keitaro thought to himself as he tried to reason just WHY he would put his alarm clock in his closet.

'Perhaps…one of Suu-_chan_'s jokes? Wait…!' his eyes snapped open as he bolted from his futon and all but ripped his closet's door open. He sighed in relieve as he saw the two blades he found last night, still in their hidden spot. 'Thank God…if she found these…'

He shuddered at the thought. He eventually found his alarm clock and turned the cursed thing off, when the clock said 8:30 am, time for breakfast. 'But…why was this here…?' Keitaro thought again, when suddenly…

"_You put it here last night. You were sleepwalking"_

The manager's head jerked up as a bodiless, male voice spoke to him. "W-What…? W-W-What was that?" he asked himself, looking around his room for any intruders. He scratched the hairs at the back of his neck.

'Man…what's going here!?' he thought nervously. He shook his head to clear his mind and went back into his closet to change clothes. Once done, he looked again at the shinning blades he found last night, and his mind started to wander…

'Talking about weird things…what was that dream all about…?' he thought as the images of the cherry blossom forest and the flowery woman flashed through his mind. 'What did she mean when she asked me if I…loved Naru?'

Keitaro was snapped out of his thoughts as someone softly knocked on his door.

"_Sempai_? Breakfast is ready" the dorm's resident cook, Maehara, Shinobu announced. Keitaro shook his head, smiled and went to open his door. "I'll be right down" he told the young chef, standing over her. "A-Alright!" the bluenette stammered as her face turned a few shades of red, and all but ran on her way to the kitchen.

Keitaro stood there, looking at her retreating form. A question mark popped on his head. "Why is she always like that?" he asked no one in particular. 'She always blushes like that whenever she talks to me…' he thought.

"_Well, well. You certainly have your way with women. Those who don't hit you in the face just blush and run away from you"_

Keitaro almost jumped out of his skin at the moment. 'What the Hell!? Man…I've been studying too hard these days…' he calmed himself down. However…

"_Don't listen to him. You are an ideal man for any woman. However, that young lady seems a bit…too young for you, isn't she?"_

This time, the young _ronin_ actually bolted up with a shriek, virtually imbedding himself into the ceiling.

……………………………………………………………………………….

On the floor above him, Keitaro's study partner was just walking out of her room; her face pale and bags under her eyes, when the hapless _kanrinin_'s head suddenly popped from a brand new whole on the floor right at her feet.

"K-Keitaro…?" Naru asked hesitantly as her brown eyes suddenly widened and images of her nightmare came flooding back into her mind. However, Keitaro's gaze wasn't exactly focused on Naru's face.

"_Now, look at that!" _

Keitaro didn't waste time wondering about the voice, his mind and eyes focused on something else right now. Or _somewhere_ else. In simple terms: Naru's plain-white, lacy panties.

'Now, I didn't know she liked _those_…' Keitaro thought as a small trickle of blood leaked from his nose.

Narusegawa's reaction was most predictable. All the fear and worry left from her nightmare quickly vanished as her face flushed and contorted in anger and her fist reared back for a downward punch straight to Keitaro's face.

However…

"_Get down the hole! NOW!" _the male voice in Keitaro's head ordered him and he didn't take a second to obey.

He pushed himself down from the hole, landing on his feet in front of his room. _"Now, back into your room!"_ the voice commanded. Keitaro followed suit and took a quick step back into his room, just as Naru's body crashed through the ceiling and her right fist up to her forearm imbedded itself into the hardwood floor, just outside the _ronin_'s room.

"_Sometimes, I wonder if she does it on purpose…"_ the voice spoke. 'Ah, w-what?' he mentally asked, but his answer was right there in front of him; in the form of Naru's panty-clad ass, in all it's glory for him to see.

"_Young one, have some dignity!"_ the female voice inside his head scolded him.

Naru had launched her trademark punch at Keitaro's head popping out the floor, just as he pushed himself down. And before she could stop herself, the momentum of the downward punch caused her arm to go through the new hole in the floor, and her body followed its limb.

And now, she was on her all-fours, trying to pull her arm out the floor and by doing so, she gave her target such a good view of her rear.

"_You do realize that you should look away, do you not?"_ that soft, female voice tried once again.

"_Come on now, don't ruin all the fun!"_ countered the male voice.

But as Keitaro tried to make sense of the voices' discussion in his head, Naru was already on her feet; her face beet-red in both anger and embarrassment.

Keitaro, as usual, froze in panic. But when the auburn haired girl was about to launch a finishing hit…

"_Duck. Now!"_

Keitaro complied, watching in amazement as Naru's fist, then arm and forearm flew by his head, missing by mere inches. Right as Keitaro's left knee touched the floor…

"_Now, get out! Head to the right!"_

Without a second thought, the _ronin_ ran past an enraged and shocked Naru and out of his room, heading right and straight down the hall.

"_Keep moving! Don't look back"_

Keitaro didn't reply; so focused was he on running for dear life as he heard Naru's usual battle cry of "YOU PERVERT!"

He kept running down the hall, until he came to a partially opened sliding door.

"_Get in! Quick!"_

Keitaro obeyed and came in, closing the door behind him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"_Ah…young one, this is…"_ the female voice informed. Keitaro opened his eyes…and froze.

Motoko Aoyama, the inn's resident swordswoman and heir to the _Shinmei Ryou_ school of kendo, was just finishing the process of removing her chest wrappings, and therefore, her full, round breasts were bare and clear for the running _ronin_ to see.

A few seconds passed by in silence, which was broken by Keitaro's actual pursuer, Naru, screaming bloody murder.

That's when Motoko realized her state of undress, and her pale face turned several shades of red, and her usually calm and peaceful features contorted in anger and disgust.

"You…" she growled as she stood up, her _katana_ in hand, "you vile, lecherous, perverted and dishonorable…" her battle aura flared as her hands tightened their hold on her sword, as gusts of wind flew around her figure, before roaring "MALE! Take this: _HIKKEN ZANKUZZEN!"_ Motoko bellowed as she swung her sword at Keitaro, sending a powerful wave of _ki_ energy.

"TEEEHHEEEEEEEEE!" he squeaked in panic, and during the 0,5 and 1,1 seconds before the wave would hit, Naru stood behind Keitaro, outside Motoko's room.

'I'm gonna die!' his mind screamed. _"Not today, boy"_

Suddenly, Keitaro felt as if he was watching "The Matrix". He saw the wave of pure energy charging towards him in slow motion. 'W-What's going on?!' his mind screamed.

"_Time, young one. Jump aside! Do it now!"_ Keitaro's female "inner voice" as he decided to call it, warned him. 'Wait, but what about…?' he tried to argue.

"_No time for that! Step aside. NOW!" _the male voice commanded. Keitaro swallowed and right as time started to flow steadily, the _ronin_ made a quick jump to the right; the wave of _ki_ not even scratching his shirt.

Naru looked on in shock as her target simply stepped aside and before she could turn to look at where he was standing…

"KYAAAAAHHHHHHH!" the brunette cried as the wave hit, and she took off in her first-ever one-way flight through Japan.

Back in the girls dorm…

Motoko's face turned from a contortion of pure rage to a look of total shock; her olive-green eyes wide as saucers and her mouth hanging open, unable to utter a word.

Silence reigned over the samurai's room, until realization dawned on Keitaro, who ran to the Naru-sized hole in the wall.

"Oh my God! N-Narusegawa!" he exclaimed.

"_Now, that was a close call…"_ the male inner voice commented.

"_But what about the other one…?"_ asked the female counterpart. Keitaro mumbled a "Huh?" and turned around, to see Motoko staring at him in disbelieve. However…

"H-How…? W-w-when…?" she stammered. But as soon as the shock came off, her anger grew quickly at the shame of hurting her fellow Pervert-Basher. She snarled at Keitaro, "you despicable scum! How DARE you make me hurt Naru-_sempai_! I didn't even think that you would go THAT low to save yourself! Take this!" she swung her sword at him, sending another wave of energy.

"_Oh, now that was a low blow…" _the male inner voice commented.

"_However, do you believe what she said? Do you believe you love that young lady?"_ the female voice asked.

'Damn it! Not now!' Keitaro groaned mentally. _"Fine. Move now. Head to the window!" _the male voice ordered, and it's "host" quickly complied and with an odd concentration he sprinted towards the nearest window. 'Wait, what AM I doing?!' the panicked part of his brain screamed. The now focused Keitaro didn't pay attention to that as he swiftly covered the few feet between him and the window.

When he was nearly at the window sill, he leaped right through the opened frame, and shifting his weight to the left, he grasped with both hands the rain pipe next to the window, and then followed suit with his feet; the wave of energy from Motoko's attack tearing apart the wall he was right next to.

He hung to the pipe as the attack wore off and then slid down the metallic pipe till he was a couple of meters above the ground and made a somersault and landed gracefully with both his feet on the floor.

"_Now, well done boy"_

"_Outstanding, young one"_

After hearing the voices, Keitaro's brain switched to normal and he looked around and up, only to see Motoko staring at him in disbelief from the hole in her room's wall.

"Now…just _how_ did I do that?" Keitaro asked himself. Soon, the rest of the girls appeared from behind Motoko with different expressions.

Mitsune a.k.a "Kitsune" Konno, the resident fox-lady, due to her eyes, which resembled those of a fox, had a questioning and surprised look; her eyes open enough to show her irises.

Kaolla Suu, the resident _gaijin_ and mad scientist, had her legs wrapped around Motoko's shoulders, looking down at him with curiosity.

"Yeah, Keitaro. What the HELL happened here?!" Kitsune broke the silence.

"_What a bright, sunny morning…"_ Keitaro's male inner voice commented.

……………………………………………………………………………….

A/N: Alright. Nothing new here, either.

However, I'm glad to inform you people that with the invaluable help of my new beta-reader and fellow Naru-Basher/Hater, Vegetto80, I've FINALLY gotten the courage and will to continue this fic and give you all, my people, somethin' good and worth your reading time.

The sketch for chapter 4's on the way, thanks to my comrade in arms Vegetto80. So, just sit back and wait.

Semper-Fi! Carry on!


	4. Aftermath

**Prince of Hinata**

**Chapter 4: **

A half-hour later, Naru could be seen making her way back to the Hinata Inn.

Her state of dress…err… well, lack of it to be exact, would be eye-pleasing…were it not for the ugly and murderous glare in her eyes. Besides from that, you'd do well to stay at least 10 feet away from her, due to her flaring-red battle aura.

Meanwhile, up at the Inn, Keitaro and the others were having breakfast. He had just finished lieing…err, explaining to the girls just HOW he was able to dodge Motoko's famous _Ki_ blasts. His cover-up was that he had used some of the training he had received from Seta during their last short-term dig.

This seemed to be enough, as his tenants easily accepted his explanation.

However, Motoko did not. She excused herself from the table and made her way back to her room to meditate on that very matter.

'He was obviously lying. It was easy to figure that out…exposing the lie…will be the tricky part.' Motoko thought as she as she lit her incense sticks, thereby filling the room with the scent of cinnamon, before she sat down with her legs crossed on her futon.

---------------------------------------------

Minutes later, in Naru's room…

'I-It can't be possible. It's-it's physically impossible…H-How COULD he avoid me like that...?' Naru thought while she paced around her room. She was trying to figure out just how Keitaro managed to escape 2 of her patented Punches, as well as avoiding Motoko's _Ki_ blast, which hit HER instead.

The light brunette visibly shuddered at the memory of the _samurai_'s Hikken Zankuzzen.

'I mean, it's not like he is… very athletic or anything!' she stopped pacing at the thought, giving enough time to tap her finger on her chin. 'Bah! As IF! He's THE description of the word WIMP!' she promptly shrugged the thought aside and continued pacing.

A few minutes passed before Naru was interrupted from her inner musings by a knock at her door.

"WHAT!" she snapped at the person on the other side.

"Hey Naru-_chan_. It's me Kit. Can I come in...?" Mitsune asked, her voice sounding muffled through the closed door. Naru calmed down enough after hearing her best friend's voice and let her in. Once Mitsune entered the room, Naru shut the door behind her and locked it.

"Sorry Kitsune. I didn't mean to snap at you like that. It's just… I thought it was the _baka_, trying to come and apologize like… he usually does." Naru brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and crossed her arms over her chest. However, her eyes involuntarily looked over to her Liddo-Kun, which was currently sitting on a plank of wood covering the hole connecting her and the _Kanrinin_'s rooms.

"Awww…don't worry about a thing, girl. I understand." Mitsune said with a cheery smile, which quickly turned into a frown and her usually-closed eyes opened ever-so slightly. "Y'know…? That training Keitaro's gotten from Seta's finally done'im some good…**_"_** she stopped after seeing her best friend's expression change to a sourer look. She continued anyway. "I wonder what kind of training the guy put'im through…to be so agile, I mean…" Kitsune decided to stop and wisely take a step back from Naru.

"Luck! simple luck! There's NO way a wimp like HIM can maneuver like that!" she exploded; her voice dripping with poison. Suddenly, her eyes narrowed at her long-time friend. **_"_**And WHY are you giving him so much praise..?" she asked in a suspicious tone as her eyes narrowed into slits, much like Mitsune's looked on a normal basis.

The tiniest of blushes filled Mitsune's cheeks before she shrugged it off. "O-Of course not Naru-_chan_! Y'know I'd never try to take away your man away from you" she said with a suggestive wink, which only earned her a snort from Naru.

"Pfftt…yeah, nice one, Kitsune. Well, go ahead!" Naru waved her hands at her friend, "go take'him! I couldn't care less if the idiot dropped dead!" she ranted. The foxy lady just rolled her eyes and Naru's attempt at humor and/or admitting her liking of the hapless _kanrinin_.

"Whatever. Jus' wanted to see how you was doin'..**_"_** with a wave, Mitsune walked out of Naru's room without looking back.

She knew that if she did, Naru would see the look of disgust for her friend.

-----------------------------------------------------

An hour later, in Motoko's room…

It was no use. A full hour of meditating had gotten no closer to solving Urashima's sudden abilities. Needless to say, it was unnerving her to no-end. She remained calm and collective, thought. Just as she had been taught by her elder sister…that's when it hit her.

"Aneue! Of course! WHY didn't I think of it before…? If anyone can figure it out, it's her!" with a nod to herself, she rose up from her Lotus Flower position and headed out of her room, down the stairs and into the common room where the telephone was located. After quickly dialing her _dojo_'s number, Motoko waited for an answer. Several seconds and rings later, there was a click on the other end.

"_Moshi moshi_! Can I help you?" came a womanly-soft, yet cheery voice.

"Hello sister. It's Motoko. How are you this afternoon..?" she loved her sister dearly, yet she was fairly jealous of her as well.

She had always felt her sister Tsuruko was so beautiful and graceful…since she was a child, she believed no-one could even come close to surpassing her. Motoko herself thought she was very far from Tsuruko's beauty and grace. However, all those who knew the two sisters knew that they were even in comparison.

After their last meeting, where Urashima and her had nearly been married when they tried to defeat Tsuruko in battle, and even though the young man had somehow managed to defeat her sister, Motoko knew Tsuruko's skills were vastly beyond hers. And she knew better than anyone that if she wanted, the older Aoyama could give the word "Deadly" a whole new meaning.

"Motoko-_han_! It's so nice to hear from you! And on the phone no less…" Tsuruko stopped to smile at her own little joke and continued. "What do I owe the pleasure of your call, sister?" she asked in another light and cheery voice…which made Motoko's eye brow twitch in irritation.

"Well _aneue_, you see… something strange happened here today and even though I have meditated on the matter a great deal… I am no closer in solving the mystery. So I was hoping if you would consider counseling me on how I could resolve this matter…?" Motoko asked with an even, yet hesitant voice.

"Why of course, Motoko-_han_! I will be more than happy to help you out. I will be there tomorrow. Bye bye!" before Motoko could say anything; there was a click on the other end. She sighed. Motoko knew there was no point in calling her sister back.

If she had a decent IQ, she just KNEW Tsuruko would have everything she needed packed already.

-----------------------------------------------------

Keitaro's room, a few minutes later…

'_Well young one. It looks like you will be having a new visitor tomorrow…' _the female voice informed him in a casual manner.

"W-Why do you keep bothering me!?" Keitaro said tiredly. He could feel it. One more time and…

'_All will be revealed in due time, young one'_ the voice once again ignored his questions. And that was the one time.

"THAT IS IT!" Keitaro snapped, "now I KNOW I'm losing it! I-I'm going crazy! Wako, nut-nuts, outta my mind, crazy as a loon...! You choose! I'm talking to myself for god sakes! It…it must've been all the beatings, yeah! They are taking their toll now…" he ranted as he walked around his room in circles. With a defeated sigh, he looked at the window…which suddenly started to look quite friendly.

_'Knock it off, boy! Yo_u _are NOT losing your mind! So STOP thinking that way_ Keitaro was startled to no end when the male voice snapped at him.

"Ok. THAT convinced me. I'm seeing a shrink first thing tomorrow!" Keitaro was definitely freaked out by now. He was SURE he was losing it. A soft knock at his door stopped him from tearing his own hair from his head.

"W-who is it?" he asked as normally as possible, fearing one of his tenants had heard him. Which, he discovered, they had.

"_S-Sempai_? A-Are you alright in there? I think I heard you talking to someone a minute ago…" Shinobu timidly asked, worried about her _Sempai_.

Keitaro froze in place and banged his brain to come up with something to NOT alert the young chef of his likely insanity. Something among the lines of…

"Err…N-No, Shinobu-_chan_! I-I'm NOT talking to anybody! B-B-But I'm not talking to myself either! It's, err…I'm fine! I'm perfectly fine! Ah….n-never been better!"

On the other side of his door, Shinobu listened to his nervous chuckle with a sweat drop going down her forehead. 'Well, _Sempai_ seems to be…Ok, I guess. He must be just…tired by what happened this morning…' Shinobu's thought then drifted back to just how handsome Keitaro looked after his perfect landing. Quickly putting those thoughts aside, she opened his door a little and poked her head through.

"O-Ok, _Sempai_. If you say so. Say…would you like some tea?" she asked timidly. Keitaro looked back at her and flashed a smile.

"Well, sure. Why not?" he replied. 'Sure, that can help me calm down…' he thought. Shinobu suddenly blushed at his smile and nodded, before disappearing down the hallway. Keitaro sweat-dropped.

'Err…one of these days I ought to find out WHY she acts like that all of a sudden' he thought to himself for a moment, before his mind went back to his previous ranting. 'Damn it…I'm totally losing it…Hell, this voices sound more real by the minute…'

"_Oh, but we ARE real, Keitaro" _a faint, nearly inaudible whisper came from behind him. 'Oh shit…' Keitaro cursed before taking a deep, unsteady breath and turning around.

He nearly had a heart-attack.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Kyoto, Japan

Right after her conversation with her little sister, Tsuruko ran straight to her room and packed everything she felt she would need for her extended stay the Hinata Inn. Shortly afterwards, she gave a call to the local train station and ensured herself a seat on the next bullet train to the Hinata district.

The older Aoyama sister knew there was something strange going on at the Inn. No surprise there. 2 days ago, she had been meditating alone in the main training _dojo_ when she sensed an unusual high-peak of an unknown power coming from the Inn. Whether is was benign or malign, she couldn't tell. Of course, she could only presume such a thing until Motoko called.

'Hmmm…it would seem that my assumptions were correct after all' she mused to herself as she sat in the middle of her room.

"Tsu-_chan_?" Tsuruko turned around at the interruption of her thoughts and saw an older woman dressed in a black and white _kimono_ standing at her doorstep.

"Yes mother?" she eyed her elder with raised eyebrows.

"You're going to investigate...aren't you?" she felt her heart sink as she saw her first daughter nod her affirmation.

"I have to mother. I have to expect the worst. Motoko-_han_ might be in danger and honestly… I am not sure if she can handle what lies ahead" Tsuruko explained with obvious concern in her voice.

"I understand Tsu-_chan_, just... be careful and take care of your sister…" Her mother innocently covered her mischievous grin with her hand, "and her MANAGER" she finished, setting her Tsuruko's pale cheeks ablaze.

Now we can clearly see just WHERE did the older Aoyama sister got her teasing attitude from.

"MOTHER!" she shrieked, "it is nothing like THAT!" she said indignantly. However, her mother knew better and easily detected that hint of longing in her first daughter's voice.

"Of course not, my dear. Call me once you know more about the situation." The elder Aoyama bowed and left the room to tend to business matters.

Tsuruko just watched her mother leave her sight before sighing. Minutes later, she could be seen walking away from the Aoyama _Dojo_, heading to the train station.

All the while, thinking about the upcoming trials not only for her and her sister, but for all others involved…

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

A/N: Hoo-rrah! Finally!

I know what'cha'll thinkin': 'Bout time this ungrateful bastard got off his lazy-ass and update this shit, right? XD

Well, here's chapter 4. Now, I can only hope this was enough to satisfy you for the moment, my people. I wanna thank all those who've re-read this fic and have kindly left their reviews.

Of course, I also wanna thank my fellow Naru-Hater/Basher comrade and pre-reader, Vegetto800, whose help was essential in the creation of this chapter. Thanks, marine.

Disclaimer: Honestly! Just WHY do we keep putting this stuff in anyway! I mean, c'mon! IF we owned "Love Hina" or ANY of all those series we WRITE about, then…just WHY the HELL would we be WRITING fanfiction! Damn it! (Deep breath) Sorry, got kinda carried away. XD

Anyway: "Love Hina" or any elements from the "Prince of Persia" trilogy DO NOT belong to me in ANY way.

There. Happy now?

R&R people! That's an order!

Semper-Fi! Carry on!


	5. Interlude

His mouth hung open in confusion and shock as he stared at his surroundings.

He was standing in the middle of a path made of stones covered in _Sakura_ petals, which whispered to the ground from their original positions in the trees on both sides of the path.

In front of him was a small _Koi_ pond, and a few feet behind it, a _Shinto_ shrine's closed doors drew Keitaro's attention.

'O-Ok…t-t-try to-try to stay calm…' the freaked-out young man struggled to get his thoughts in order. However, the voices weren't helping.

"_You doubt our existence, boy?"_

"_Come, young one. Follow us and we shall prove to you…"_

"_We ARE real"_

'W-Wait…that d-didn't come from my head, but from…' Keitaro stared at the shrine's gate and, taking a deep breath, started walking forward; a few droplets of nervous sweat going down his forehead.

"_That's right, boy"_

"_Just keep moving forward. No harm will come your way"_

"_We promise"_

'Promise…' Keitaro thought for a moment and he swallowed hard. Well, he might as well give it a try. 'Y-You p-promise? No…no harm, right?'

"_No harm, boy"_

"_Yes, we promise"_

'Ok. Here goes nothing' Keitaro reached the shrine's gates and placing both hands on each door, he took a deep breath before sliding them fully open at the same time.

A strong breeze blew by and the falling cherry blossom petals flew in through the shrine's entrance. Keitaro shuddered for a moment as the cool breeze passed by. He gulped and looked inside; an empty, dark hall silently greeted him.

Whatever courage he had a moment ago almost shattered in mere seconds, and he was about to step back when the voices spoke again.

"_Wait there, boy. Show some spine!"_

"_We promised: no harm will come your way. Trust us"_

'O-Ok…o-one step at a time…' Keitaro gulped and stepped inside.

He panicked when the wooden doors suddenly slid closed and locked. His eyes widened when suddenly candles lit up by themselves along the walls, and two thin lines of what Keitaro could swear was shiny, golden sand formed a path in front of him, which then formed a large circle when it reached the center of the room.

After the circle was completed, the lines of sand joined into one single trail which then lead to a single, lit incense stick that filled the air with a peculiar scent. Keitaro couldn't put his finger on it.

He stood there in confusion and amazement for a moment, before he cautiously and slowly started walking towards the circle. He gasped and stumbled backwards, falling flat on his rear, when a wall of golden and silver light came up from the floor and rose towards the ceiling.

His expression was that of absolute shock and confusion as the wall of light started to fade and eventually disappear. Then, his expression turned into one of awe; a human figure stood in the middle of the circle.

A golden-silver glowing katana/scimitar half-breed blade held in her right hand, high above her head with the razor-like edge facing forward. Her left arm wrapped about her waist with a glowing, blue dagger in her hand.

Her body clad in a fine, blood-red and bright pink _kimono_ with a white _Sakura_ petals pattern over it with a golden sash at her waist.

Her fair skin, her long golden-brown hair, done up in a low ponytail, which was wrapped in silver rings. Her pink, glossy lips were curved into a peaceful smile and her eyes' color was hidden by her shaded eyelashes.

'G-Good GOD…!' was Keitaro's only conscious thought. He was snapped out of this state, however by the woman's soft, soothing and calm voice.

"Most people think Time is like a river that flows swift and sure in one direction. But I have seen the face of Time. And I can tell you…they are WRONG"

Keitaro gasped and his eyes widened when the blade-wielding woman's soft, chocolate brown eyes opened and he soon found himself drowning into their calm, dark depths.

"W-W-Wha…? What do you mean?" Keitaro asked in utter confusion, not taking his eyes away from the woman's.

"Time is like an ocean in a storm. You wonder who I am, and why I say this. We are afraid to disappoint you, but as I have said already…"

Keitaro's nearly entranced state came to an abrupt end when the woman suddenly leapt into the air with the long sword held high, ready for a vertical cut.

The young man promptly panicked as the razor-like edge of the blade came down to meet him. His knees gave out and he fell flat on his rear, and out of habit he covered his head with his arms. What he believed to be his final thought was:

'But they PROMISED!'

He waited for the killing blow…which never came.

Instead, he heard the clashing of steel with hard wood. He then felt strong, yet gentle hands take hold of his wrists and spread his arms, pinning them above his head.

He cautiously opened his eyes and they widened when he saw the swordswoman's flawless face hovering just inches above his own; her warm breath tickling his lips and her perfume of cherries enveloping his senses.

His eyes traced every single line and curve of the smiling woman's face, and when he looked at his side, his eyes nearly bugged out their sockets when he saw the shinning, curved long sword imbedded on the floor, mere inches from his head. His eyes then went back to the woman and he caught a glimpse of the blue shine of the dagger, now sheathed in the sash of her _kimono_.

His mind then registered the fact that this woman, who he had never seen before in his life, was straddling his waist and pinning his arms above his head.

If this wasn't a daily occurrence already, he would have panicked yet again, get away and bow repeatedly stammering his apologies.

However, his survival instinct hadn't taken over and he soon found himself looking deep into the mysterious woman's eyes, and his senses were soon overwhelmed with her very presence.

The way her generous breasts pressed onto his chest through her _kimono_… if you had asked Keitaro at the time, he would have sworn on his very own grave… that he could feel two noticeably hard pebbles poking his own chest through the thin material of the woman's _kimono_ and the T-shirt he was conscious enough to know he was wearing.

The way her smooth legs brushed against his waist, her sweet scent of cherries…it was all too much for him, and he reluctantly broke the comfortable silence.

"What is all this?" he whispered to her, "why is this all happening to me? Is this some kind of test? A game, perhaps? I don't understand…I don't understand any of this…" he sighed in mixed exasperation and tiredness.

The woman closed her chocolate-brown eyes and spoke softly.

"This is no game, young man. This is no test, either. We know you are tired of hearing this, but it is just too soon for you to know" she saw his tired sigh and opened her eyes again. "However, we can let you know…that if what is now written in the Time Line is correct, then…something will happen, which will affect not only you, but all those around you. And you must be ready when that time comes."

Keitaro blinked in confusion and unconsciously groaned in disappointment when the _kimono_-clad woman grabbed the hilt of the long sword stuck on the floor and rose herself from their rather compromising position.

She offered her hand to him and when he took it, she pulled him up to his feet and helped steady him. She kept holding Keitaro's hand in her own, making him blush and blink in confusion. She pulled the long sword out of the wooden floor and gently placed the hilt in the young man's hand. He looked at her.

"This is my gift to you. And this…" she drew the shinning dagger from her sash and placed it in Keitaro's free hand. "Is a gift from a greater one than I. And this…"

She smiled slyly and placed both hands behind Keitaro's neck and head, pulling him in closer to her face. She huskily whispered: "Is to prove to you that we…I AM real."

She then leaned forward and claimed his lips with her own.

Keitaro gasped into her kiss, and she took the opportunity to slip her tongue between his teeth and entered his mouth. The young man soon gave in and clumsily reciprocated the kiss.

In all his young life… Keitaro would have never been able to guess the he: the guy that owned and managed an all-girls dorm, and had zero luck with the one girl that he thought to be his Promised One… was having his first-ever making-out session with perhaps the most beautiful woman that he had ever had the pleasure of laying his eyes on.

That, and the fact that she was a total stranger.

He was very disappointed to say the least when she broke their lip-lock and smiled sincerely at him, before lowering her lips to the side of his neck and making Keitaro yelp when she bit him, leaving a clear mark. She then rested her forehead against his and whispered:

"I'm sure you will make us proud, Keitaro-_kun_"

"Huh…?" was the last thing he felt himself say before everything went black.

……………………………………………………………………………….

Keitaro groaned as his eyes opened and adjusted to the sunlight.

He drowsily sat up and looked around, trying to get his bearings together. He saw he was in his room, sitting in his futon. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes.

He then snapped fully awake when he suddenly remembered what he thought happened to him mere seconds ago.

'W-Was that…real…?' he thought before he gasped when he remembered a certain detail…

"I-It was…It WAS real!" he wondered aloud when his fingers brushed the place where the golden-brown haired woman bit him. He also realized…

"Oh shit. It's a…a _hikey_!" he was about to panic as he thought of WHAT the girls would make of that, when he heard 3 soft knocks at his door.

"_Sempai_? I brought you some tea" Shinobu's shy voice came from the other side. Keitaro's eyes widened in shock. 'H-How…Just HOW long was I…err…well, out of it…!?' he thought, but he quickly shook it off and called back.

"Ah! T-Thanks, Shinobu-_chan_!" he said and slid his door open, greeting the girl with a smile. She blushed as she walked in and placed a steaming cup of coffee on his desk. She then covered her lower face with the tray she was carrying and spoke softly.

"Y-Y-You're w-welcome, _S-Sempai_!" before almost dashing out of the _kanrinin_'s room. Said manager just stared at the spot she was at before running.

'O-Ok…that's it. I AM gonna find out WHY she acts like that every time she's near me!' he decided as he took a sip from his tea. However, he soon found himself thinking about the mysterious woman's words.

'What is written in the Time Line…? What…what was she talking about?' he sighed aloud. "What kind of mess did I get myself into this time…?"

………………………………………………………………………………….

Author's notes: Here we go again, with another chapter.

Now, I had this thing written awhile back, but my proof-reader Vegetto800 gave me a hand and encouraged me to post this as it was.

Disclaimer: Ok…this is bullshit, man. WHY do we even put these goddamn things on anyway? What IS the great idea!? God…XD

Now, you know the drill, marines. R&R! That's an order!

Semper-Fi! Carry on!


	6. Many Questions with Little Answers

**Prince of Hinata**

**Chapter 6: Questions with little Answers**

Bullet train headed for Hinata District…

'There it is again!' Tsuruko gasped and looked out the window next to her with narrowed eyes. 'It's that energy…what happened now?' she cursed the train for not being bloody fast enough…Hinata was still about an hour away…

'If this power belongs to what I think it does…' a feeling of dread came over her and she looked down at her shaking right hand. Her eyes saddened as she looked at her wedding ring. She ran her fingertips over the golden band and let out a sigh. Her features soon turned into a confused frown.

'This power is the same…however, its essence is not actually evil…it's benign, but then…where could be this negative energy be coming from?' She thought. She gripped her katana tightly. 'Whatever this is…Motoko-_han_ isn't prepared, by any means, to face something of this magnitude…'

For now, she could only wait and hope for the best.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keitaro was not having a good time.

First: nearly everything that strange, beautiful girl in his vision said to him made absolutely NO sense.

At least, he now understood a little of the blades he found…and thinking about it, this woman had just given him his very first real kiss! He marveled at the still tingling sensation on his lips.

But he was worried about the hickey…knowing full well what two certain tenants would probably DO to him if they happen to notice it.

And now, to top it all off: Shinobu was acting very strange around him. And for the life of him, Keitaro couldn't figure out why.

He let out yet another tired sigh, sat there on his futon, just sipping the tea Maehara just brought him.

…………………………………………………………………………………..

Shinobu walked quickly back down to the kitchen. She slid the door open and shut it behind her. Letting out a sigh, she pressed her back against the door and hung her head low.

"If only…" she whispered. Everyone knew very well about the crush she had on Keitaro…except for himself, of course. Yet, she knew the age gap between them wouldn't let her have him as her own. So she made her way back to the kitchen.

…………………………………………………………………………………..

Keitaro shook his head. He would handle the matter with Shinobu later. Right now, he had more important business to attend to…namely: whatever shred of sanity he believed he had left.

He kept running his shaking hand over the teeth mark on the side of his neck. Keitaro was damn sure to keep that hidden. But if that mysterious woman had left a…physical mark on his body…

"_You are not as insane as you think, boy"_

Keitaro jumped a little at that sudden "interruption" of his own thoughts. He then realized just who or what was speaking to him. Though it didn't make his mood any better.

'Great! Just what I needed…' Keitaro thought with sarcasm, finishing his cup of tea. He sighed. 'Alright. Let's say…let's say I'm buying all this! I believe. Then, what?' he thought. He soon had a reply.

"_You were told already. Something was written in the Time Line long ago. Fate has plans for you, as for those around you. But an anomaly was suddenly registered" _the disembodied male voice spoke.

'What? An…an anomaly?' Keitaro thought in confusion.

"_Exactly, young one. This anomaly used to be benign…but now, it has changed…"_ the soft, female voice spoke, making his cheeks flush for a moment. He couldn't help but move his finger tips along his lips, still feeling the tingling sensations.

"_It is now a threat. A threat not only to you, but to all those that you care for"_ this is where Keitaro frowned. _"For the moment, the anomaly has yet to reveal itself. But you must be ready…when the time comes"_

'R-Ready? W-W-What do you mean…?' he began to sweat slightly.

"_Yes, boy. The task to face this anomaly…and eradicate it will be upon your shoulders. But…"_

"_Are you willing to accept this responsibility? Will you stand against this threat, to protect all those around you?"_

He closed his eyes.

"_Will you become a hero?"_

Should he push his luck any further…?

'If…and I mean IF this is all true…then, WHEN is this…this stand going to happen? When is this threat going to reveal itself…? HOW can I prepare for something I don't even know WHEN it is coming?' He looked for a way out of this…already knowing the answer.

"_We are sorry, young one. You are not meant to know that. The best you can do…is to be prepared. But know this: even now, the mechanisms leading to this event are already in motion, as we speak."_

"_Even if we were able to tell you when this is going to happen, you wouldn't be able to stop it before the due time. What is written in the Time Line cannot be changed"_ finished the voice of Keitaro's first-real kiss.

He rubbed his forehead and sighed.

'I…I don't even know IF I should believe you!' he thought, frustrated. 'I mean…why me? Why AM I the one you're talking to!?'

"_You don't trust us, then"_ the male voice stated, sounding a little annoyed.

"_You still believe…I am not real?"_ Keitaro stopped caressing the hickey on his neck. His eyes softened. That woman's voice had a…hurt and sad tone to it.

"I…" he whispered to the air.

"_Do you have faith?"_ both voices chorused. Keitaro's frown deepened. 'But... I already have a duty to complete!' he thought, determined.

"_Yes…The Promise"_ both voices chorused again. His eyes widened. How…How could they know…?

"_You must choose, Keitaro"_ the woman's voice cooed. 'Choose…?' he thought in reply.

"_Yes. You must make a choice, boy. This is more important than you think" _again the male voice was sounding a bit irritated.

"_But before that choice is made, give us a chance"_ the female voice pleaded. Keitaro shook his head, supporting his forehead on his hand, feeling as if he was possibly being used in some fashion.

"_Please…"_

'Alright. Just…just ONE chance. Otherwise…' he didn't finish that thought.

"_That's all that is needed"_ the voices spoke as one. There was silence was for a moment.

"_Pick them up"_ the male voice spoke. Keitaro slowly turned his head around and looked at his closet. He knew what they were talking about…_"Pick them up"_ the woman's voice whispered. True to his word, Keitaro stood up from his bedding and walked over to the closet. His hand halted, however, mere inches from the sliding door's handle.

He took a deep breath, slid the door open and reached into his closet. He removed the boxes and blankets covering the weapons hidden underneath.

And there they lay; the beautiful, blue-shinning dagger and the finely crafted, long and silver-golden glowing katana/scimitar hybrid blade. They waited there…they expected Keitaro to reach out and grasp them.

"_Pick up my gift, first"_ the female voice said, almost excitedly. He did as instructed and slowly, hesitantly drew his hand towards the sword. His hand trembled when it was inches away from the hilt.

"_Fear not"_ that soft, yet calming whisper echoed in his head. He suddenly felt as if…something warm and silky touched the back of his hand, and he felt…as if that…that feeling…gently grasped his very hand and guided it towards the long sword's hilt.

He closed his eyes when his hand touched the fine, soft yet hard material of the hilt, and his fingers quickly encircled it and grasped the hilt tightly. And with a swift movement, he drew the blade back from the blanket and held it confidently in his hand.

"_Now, pick the other gift"_ the male voice now guided him.

Keitaro did as he was told. He bent down and retrieved the dagger that was lying there, still shinning its beautiful brilliance. Once he held both in his hands, Keitaro felt…the power flowing from the blades, through his hands, his arms, his chest…his whole body felt…odd, but in a good way.

He suddenly felt as if…as if these voices were telling nothing but the truth. Maybe he was...meant to have found these blades. As if…

"_Fate has plans for you. You are destined to something more important than you think" _the male voice spoke.

'What…what am I supposed to do now?' he asked. His answer came in the form of the blades somehow…pulsing. Incredibly, he did NOT freak out at this. He simply raised an eyebrow.

"_It is not a weapon what makes a man great, but the man that wields the weapon"_ the female voice recited in a somewhat amused tone. A "Huh?" was Keitaro's intelligent reply.

"_Training, boy! Training!"_ the male voice stated. The young man sweat dropped. "Well…there sure can be some space to do so in the forest behind the Inn. I won't be bothered there…" he wondered aloud. He began walking towards the room's door, when he stopped.

"Wait…I'll surely get spotted if I just walk out the front door…then how-?" he cut himself off when he looked at the room's open window. 'N-No! Wait! What AM I doing!?' the rational part of his mind cried out.

Keitaro shrugged and began running towards the window. He quickly sheathed the long sword and dagger in his belt and jumped right through the open gap.

It was at this point that Keitaro finally realized...how incredibly stupid this decision was…according to his rational, normal mindset.

He jumped through the window with a somersault so that the fall would be at a certain angle. He turned in mid air so that his feet were facing the ground coming in to meet them. With a strong push, Keitaro made contact with the ground only to use his feet to "bounce" and make a small 180º leap while in the air and then landed back on his feet…though they didn't touch the ground at the same time. The right foot came first and then the left.

Keitaro tripped and tumbled over, falling flat on his face into the dirt. He groaned as he got back up, while the voices spoke to him.

"_My, my, young one…you almost had it"_

"_ALMOST. You could learn a thing or two, boy"_

'Alright, alright. I get it, geez…' he thought as he began walking further into the forest. Roughly a half-hour later he found himself into a clearing with a stream of clear water running in the middle.

"_Very well, young one. Let us begin"_ the female voice began. Keitaro nodded and drew his blades from his belt. In a small display of confidence, the swordsman-to be flipped the weapons in his hands.

"_Alright. First lesson…"_ both voices chorused.

……………………………………………………………………………...

**Author's Notes:** By my master, Lord Ares; somebody please just shoot me.

Another chapter! Hoo-rrah! XD Now, I'm SO truly sorry for taking THIS long to update this crappy Naru-Bashing-filled fic. XD I've just…shit. I don't even know WHAT got into me…but anyway, I struggled to write this chapter, honest!

Now, I just hope you all liked this chapter. Y'know the drill, people. Read'n Review; NOT Read'n RUN! Understand?

And I'm sorry there isn't much actual Naru-Bashing here. XD

_Semper-Fi!_ Carry on!


	7. Training Part 1

**Chapter 7: Training – Part 1**

"Alright...I'm ready!"

"_First of all, young one, the fight is one-on-one essential and most honorable kind of fight"_

"Ok, I understand...but...err...I don't have an opponent..." Keitaro sweat-dropped.

"_THAT, boy, can be easily solved"_

"Huh? How...?" Keitaro blinked when the scenery started to change.

"Whoa..." he gawked at the scene before him.

He was no longer in the middle of the woods. The young man was now in a huge, cavernous room, lit by torches that hung from the walls, with a big circle imprinted on the ground.

Keitaro then looked down at himself and gasped; Gone were his normal clothes, and instead, he was clad in armour that look to be made of some very tough steel.

His right arm was covered to near his shoulder with leather wrappings and so was his left arm, which was only covered to the elbow. The steel meshing covered his entire torso all the way down past his hips and his legs as well. To avoid any kind of chaffing, the skin was covered up by a red coloured cloth.

Keitaro was amazed at the changes, but couldn't help but feel em-powered by the new suit.

"_Ah! I see you are enjoying your new armour. Enjoy it well too, because your going to need it!" _

"_Now, get ready! Choose your stance!"_

With that said, two beings known as Keepers appeared out of a whirlwind of sand right in front of Keitaro. Automaticly , he dropped into a defensive stance that felt....right, somehow.

His legs were bent at the knees and the scimitar/katana hybrid sword was held above his head. He kept the dagger close to his body.

"Let me handle this!" one of the skull-wearing creatures declared, waving his spiked mace over his head. The other one chuckled darkly and stood back.

Keitaro's eyes narrowed. He somehow felt...insulted by the Keeper's taunting.

With a loud battle cry, the creature charged at him, mace held high over its head.

"_No fear, young one!" _claimed the woman's voice, right before the Keeper brought it's mace down.

Keitaro acted quickly and sidestepped the attack with a quick jump to the right. He then brought his knee up and smashed it into the Keeper's gut.

It cried out and dropped his spiked mace and dropped to its knees, clutching at his stomach.

"_Now! FINISH HIM!" _barked the male voice inside Keitaro's head.

Without hesitaion, Keitaro raised his hybrid blade and then brought it down on the kneeling Keeper.

The sound of metal slicing through flesh could be heard through out the training ground.

In a spurt of blood and sand, the creature's head fell off.

As the dead Keeper's body turned to sand, Keitaro turned his attention to its comrade.

"_Behind you! Block it!" _cried the female voice.

The young swordsman gasped and turned around, just in time to block an incoming attack.

Something inside Keitaro, maybe his instincts, kicked in when his raised sword met the steel of the Keeper's machete.

"_NOW! Counter it!" _commanded the male voice.

With a loud cry, Keitaro manoeuvred his long sword to push the Keeper's machete down to the stone floor and then, with surgical precision, he sliced the creature's throat open with a quick slash of his dagger.

The Keeper immediately dropped his weapon and brought its hands up to his open neck, which was spewing blood and sand, and fell to the ground, where it turned to sand.

Keitaro looked at his foes' remains without a trace of regret.

"_Good. Very good, young one"_

"_Not bad, indeed. Now...ready for some more?"_

"..." Keitaro looked down a moment, and then back up. There was a smirk on his face. "Yeah, I am."

Then, three whirlwinds of sand rose from the ground, and after a second or two, three more red-clad warriors with swords and maces were standing before him.

"_This is round two, boy"_

Keitaro just looked on with a slightly bored expression.

"_I wouldn't get to cocky if I were you... These are far tougher than the last ones." _Said the female.

"_Next lesson: Combat with multiple enemies." _Added the male.

And with that the creatures charged the young warrior.

Swords were being swung so fast that they were almost invisible to the naked eye. Keitaro was put on the defensive. He couldn't even catch his breath!

One of the Raiders managed to get behind Keitaro and was about to bring his mace down upon the poor boy's head, but Keitaro by instinct alone, was able to sense it and move out of the way just in time.

The result of that move cause the Raider that was fighting Keitaro face to face to stumble and be impaled by the other's mace.

Another squelch and a flood of blood and sand erupted from the being's head, thus falling into a pile of harmless sand.

The Raider who killed his partner just stared in shock for a moment before he turned his attention back to Keitaro.

"I'll kill you!" it said with a mighty roar.

He again rushed Keitaro but just as it reached him, Keitaro brandished his hybrid sword and swung it in an low sweeping motion on the mid-section of the creature.

The Raider stopped in mid-step with a look of shock adorning its ugly face. It promptly split in half and fell down into another pile of sand.

"ARGGHHH!!!" came the battle cry from the third and final opponent.

The two exchanged blows for several minutes. Neither giving ground to the other.

While he put his fighting skills to the test, he could hear the voices in his head whispering to each other words he could not make out, but he couldn't give it too much thought, as he was busy enough blocking and attacking.

"Ugh!" Keitaro grunted as he threw up his blade to block the downward strike of the creatures attack.

"HAH! I've got you now!" The Raider said.

Gritting his teeth, Keitaro rose up against the force that was being applied against him, totally surprising the creature in front of him.

"WHAT!?" it said in shock.

Keitaro pushed it off of him and threw his dagger into the thing's right eye and swung his sword in a large arc. He cleanly split the creature in two halves. As it split apart, Keitaro could see the muscles and bones and all the other inner workings of a living being turn to sand and fall to the ground.

He took several deep breaths and retrieved his dagger from the pile of sand before him.

A few seconds of silence followed, in which he could hear his own labored breathing and...laughter?

"_Hah! It was fun, wasn't it, boy?"_

"Hahaha! Yeah, it was!" he said cheerfully, looking down at his weapons. "This...this power! I've...I've never felt so _alive_!"

"_That's the thrill of battle, young one. The adrenaline pumping through your veins, the sounds of steel against steel...these are things that you'll never forget"_

"_You want some more?"_

Keitaro gripped his blades tightly and nodded vigorously.

"Yeah! I'm not even tired yet!"

Then, several whirlwinds of sand erupted from the ground in front, besides and behind him.

Eight creatures stood around him once the whirlwinds were gone: 2 Keepers, 2 Raiders, 2 Blade Dancers and 2 Silhuetes.

Keitaro assumed his battle stance and smirked.

"Alright...Bring it on!" he barked.

To be continued...

.............................................................................................................

A/N:#1 This is Vegetto800. Me and the original author of this story have finally brought out another chapter to this long delayed project. I hope this chapter meets your satisfaction. As always R&R.

A/N: º2 Once again, there you have a lame A/N. LOL

THIS is an A/N...

HEADS UP, MARINES! OFFICER ON DECK!

(Salutes) As you were, people.

Now...you thought this thing was dead, didn't ya. Stone-cold dead.

Well, IT ISN'T, GODDAMN IT! LOLLOLLOLLOLLOLLOLLOLL

This thing is pretty much alive, people. It got shot, yeah. But it'll thrive again.

Now, I gotta apologize first to my co-author and beta-reader, my good friend Vegetto800, 'cuz...well...I totally forgot about'im! ^^U I forgot about'im and asked for you people to help me with this thing.

So, my comrade, I'm sorry.

Now that that's outta the way, I'll admit, I suddenly decided to cut it in half 'cuz...well, it's 0135 hrs here, and I'm sleepy. LMAO So, I hope you enjoyed readin' Badass!Keitaro. ROFL

Now, we know this is some major change of attitude for'im, and that's what we had intended. All this is happenin' for a reason.

And why did I pick the sand monsters from PoP: Warrior Within? 'Cuz they're badass. LOL I didn't include the Torturers, 'cuz I haven't gotten that far in the game.

NOT because I suck, but because of a goddamn bug. The game is supposed to give you the option to save your progress and continue...but in my case, that didn't happen and I was stuck in a loop!

Goddamn it!

Anyway.

Prepare for some totally AW3SOME! pwnage in next chapter, which will be up once we get 5 reviews or more.

We're not askin' for much, right?

...

Right?

So. Read'n Review, people! That's a goddamn order!

_Semper-Fi_! Carry on!

...

OH! Before I forget...can ANYONE tell me where I can find these songs?

"The Beast" by Milt Buckner and "Closer to Home", the ending theme of "Frontlines: Fuel of War".

I've been goin' INSANE lookin' for'em. So, any help would be VERY appreciated.


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